Stanchions, including those supporting handrails, have been used in railway cars for many years. The stanchions and handrails permit passengers, who have to stand, to grip them for support while the car is moving.
In order to provide maximum passenger comfort as well as attractive interiors, modern railway cars have included conveniences such as improved heating, air conditioning and lighting. In view of the many changes in the interior of the car, conventional locations and connections of the stanchions are not always possible.
In many modern cars, a combination fluorescent lighting fixture and diffuser is optimally located above the exact center of two passenger seats. They, therefore, require a wide ceiling duct encompassing these fixtures to be built into the center ceiling of the car.
Stanchions which are designed to be attached to aisle seats must penetrate the ceiling, which may also serve as the bottom panel of a duct, and ultimately achieve a hard connection with the roof in order to acquire the strength and rigidity it requires.
Some modern cars include cantilevered aisle seats which are connected to the side walls of the car with no supports being provided beneath the seats. In cases where the stanchions are to be connected between the seats and ceiling, the load on the stanchions and handrails must be completely transferred to the roof of the car without stressing the seats which are not designed to accommodate additional loads.
Because of the need to obtain access to components behind the ceiling, such as the lighting and air conditioning fixtures, it is desirable to provide stanchions which are assembled and disassembled without disturbing the seat or other connections in the car.